


Four times that Langley failed to take part in one of Celes' political engagements and one that he did

by Tabata



Category: Original Work
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-08
Updated: 2018-03-08
Packaged: 2019-03-28 19:16:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13910445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tabata/pseuds/Tabata
Summary: According to the rules, Langley cannot be seen near the Seer in public (because he's half-vampire and because Celes already has a boyfriend, Shannen, and according to Lacros he doesn't need another). This is the story of how Langley tried four times to elude Lacros' surveillance and how he managed to elude it the fifth.





	Four times that Langley failed to take part in one of Celes' political engagements and one that he did

**Author's Note:**

> This work is inspired by the COW-T verse, created for the "Clash of the Writing Titans" challenge by Lande di Fandom's admin, specifically by the last installment of the story.
> 
> Written for: Lande di Fandom's COW-T 8  
> prompt: COW-T!verse

The first time Langley tries to take part in one of Celes' political engagements is right after Celes' first games, on the occasion of a consultation of the Book of the Law, and he doesn't put great effort into it. He really thinks that the whole “You can't be too close to the Seer” policy was for show, one of those traditional procedures that you must follow not to upset the people, who are historically not prone to big changes – and a seer in a polyamorous relationship with two men, one of which is half-vampire, can be filed under change of remarkable proportions.

But apparently it is not the case. He tries to follow Celes and Shannen in the room where the book is kept, but Lacros, Celes' uncle and High Priest, steps right in front of him with his hands on his hips. “Where do you think you are going?” He asks, a sentence he will say to him several times in a very short period of time from that moment on. Langley finds an answer unnecessary since his boyfriends are visibly waiting for him inside the room and he was about to enter.

Lacros shakes his head and says, “I'm incredibly sorry,” – spoiler, he's not –. “but the access to the room is strictly forbidden to those that are not members of the royal family.” Langley could point out that Shannen sleeps with the Seer and does several things to him, but he's no part of his family at all, but it would be pointless as Lacros tends to turn instantly deaf in both ears when he does that, and Langley doesn't want him to be hearing impaired. Also, Lacros is built like a tank, and Langley is only dangerous when he hasn't drunk blood for weeks, so he gives up.

*

The second time Langley tries to take part in one of Celes' political engagements is during a dinner in honor of the Seer himself. Langley should be invited by right – he is one of the boyfriends after all – but he's not the type of person who demands things, so he's not really upset when Shannen receives an official invitation and he doesn't. But that doesn't mean he doesn't try to be at the dinner anyway.

This time he comes up with a plan and he convinces Shannen to help him. Actually, he bribes him more than convincing him, promising him that he will be completely quiet for two full weeks, but with Shannen is basically the same thing because he does nothing for nothing.

The plan is simple: Shannen will follow Celes inside the great hall and will wait ten minutes, then he will excuse himself to allegedly go to the bathroom. In exiting the room, he will leave the door open. Langley will slip inside and sit at the table with the other guests. He's quite sure that the servants will rather bring a plate to him and pretend he is supposed to be there than raise the alarm and possibly ruining the event.

Everything goes according to the plan. The guests are coming and going, but nobody is guarding the doors. Shannen comes out exactly ten minutes after coming in and leaves the door ajar for him, heading down the corridor without a second thought or a glance towards the spot where Langley is waiting. Langley marches happily towards the door but he never gets to it. “Where do you think you are going?” Lacros says, appearing out of nowhere. Langley could swear he wasn't there a second ago.

“There are people from literally everywhere in there,” he protests. “Why can't I be there too?”

Lacros is not a bad person, Langley knows that. It's not that the man hates him or anything, but he's a great fan of the rules. He's obsessed with them. He loves them. And it's that kind of unhealthy relationship where you don't see past your love even when your lover hurts other people and beats them to a pulp in a back alley. The metaphor might have got out of hand, but it fits somehow. Anyway, Lacros can't allow him inside because that would mean breaking up with the rules. “I'm sorry,” he says – and once again, that's not completely true –, “but I can't let you in.”

*

The third time Langley tries to take part in one of Celes' political engagements is when he has to give a speech to the people of Tanit. The event is going to take place outside the palace on a stage built specifically for the occasion.

Part of him hopes that, being the whole thing outside, it's going to be easier to blend in among the crowd that is going to be on the stage. The other part of him is painfully aware that it's going to be the usual mission impossible – he can't help being always very honest with himself – but he's determined to try anyway. In fact, he will try and try and try again until either he will succeed or he will die trying, as a very ancient prophet whose name he doesn't remember said a long time ago in a place he doesn't exactly know where it is.

The day of the speech he makes himself very scarce. He knows Lacros is expecting him to try something as much as Langley is expecting Lacros to stop him, and it's really funny to hide behind columns and potted plants and watch as the High Priest looks suspiciously around to spot him before he can make a move. He tried to involve Shannen in the plan – which Shannen very rudely referred to as _yet another of your fucking shenanigans_ – but he politely declined the invitation. And with “politely” he means cussing profusely at him and all his lineage, and with “declined” he means he threatened to kill him if he dared finishing the sentence. Langley didn't dare.

He waits until the very last minute, when Lacros is forced to stop investigating on his whereabouts to take his rightful place on the stage next to his husband Laenton. That is when Langley avoids the guards – that's easy, honestly, they're not very vigil when it comes to him – and climbs onto the stage. There are plenty of people on it, not only Shannen, Celes and his mother, but also Manila's extended family, so Langley is not really worried to be seen, and he's content to witness the speech from a privileged place. It doesn't have to be right next to Celes. He knows Shannen will perform wonderfully for both of them in that sense; which is only fair, now that he thinks about it, since Langley performs for both of them in the bedroom.

But whereas the guards fail to notice him, Lacros seems to sense him. Langley is basically hidden behind Abilene and Metacomet, only his ruffled mane of curls peeking out from behind their heads, and yet Lacros flinches. He turns around, as nonchalantly as he can, scanning the group right next to him to see him. When he does, his whole body tenses with the need to rush forward and remove him, but he can't do that without interrupting the Seer, which is an option he can't even contemplate, of course. So, they start this silly little dance, moving around the stage. Lacros takes a step forward, Langley steps to the side. Lacros switches place with Abilene, Langley moves towards the other side of the stage. Every step taken with a smile on their lips and a nod towards each other to show the audience that everything is perfectly alright. Celes looks at them every now and then and sighs, unable to intervene.

It goes on for a little more than ten minutes, then Lacros gets to him and grabs him by his arm. “Where do you think you are going?” He asks again.

“Honestly? At this point anywhere you're not,” Langley sighs as two guards, finally catching up, lower him down the stage. At least he's been up there a little while. That's something.

*

The fourth time Langley tries to take part in one of Celes' political engagements is undoubtedly his best failed attempt. He must admit that he's been blood-starved for weeks, because Celes is really busy with work and he doesn't want to disturb him, so Langley doesn't think completely straight, but that doesn't mean his whole stunt is not spectacular.

Celes is in a meeting with Granny Giovanna – one of the magical masterpieces of nature Langley likes to lay his eyes upon the most, except for his boyfriends of course – and he locked himself in the meeting room with her, his mother, Shannen, who actually doesn't like to be involved and yet always is, Vesper and Laenton, who's there only to stand in for his husband. Lacros, on the other hand, is at a crossroad in his life where he has to choose between his royal duty and a personal vendetta. His relationship with the rules is strained. He doesn't spend time with them anymore. He comes back home late to them. They feel neglected. And he knows he should do right by them and be a better man, but he can't. This all-consuming fury is all there's left of him. He's got only one thing in mind and that thing is Langley; which is flattering, Langley has to admit that, but it's also very sad. Today he stands guard in front of the door of the meeting room, sure that Langley will show up and try to get inside sooner or later. That is why Langley is actively trying to pass through the chimney this time.

Inside the meeting room there's a fireplace – he knows that because he has seen it once – and that fireplace is not burning – he knows that because it's summer – and it represents the best way to get inside without being noticed, at least by Lacros. He strongly believes that, once inside, no one among the present people will have something to complain about him. Not even Laenton, who values his husband's blood pressure more than the rules.

Langley gets to the roof with magic, because he might be half-vampire and he was not born and raised on the magical land of Tanit, but he still is the best student the academy has ever seen, so there's that. He lands on the shingles and looks inside the chimney. He can't see the end of it – which is normal, since the room is on the first floor – but he can hear a vague echo of laughter and, among those, Celes beautiful ringing voice, calling Manila and Vesper to order. 

He starts to levitate down the chimney and everything is fine until he loses focus – Celes' blood smells delicious and his brain simply stops working – and starts falling. He screams, he's not proud of that but he will not lie either, and the talking suddenly stops in the room. By the time he lands unceremoniously on his ass in the fireplace, Lacros has opened the door and he's glaring so much at him that Langley is almost sure he's going to catch fire. And if he's half-vampire he must be more flammable than a lot of people in here.

“Where do you think you are going?” Lacros says, predictably. Celes rolls his eyes and even Manila curses under her breath.

“Would it help if I said I'm here to give people presents?” Langley asks. “I know somewhere people do that. They get inside houses through chimneys and give lovely gifts to the people they love. I love two people in here and the present is me.”

Celes actually laughs, but Lacros is not happy. “Kid, I'm starting to lose my patience,” he says, sounding very serious and looking very scary, despite the ponytail. “Now, get out of the room and be out of my sight for the rest of the day or I will take measures nobody in here will like, not even me.”

Langley would like to make a joke out of it, but Celes shakes his head. So he sighs, and leaves.

*

Four times Langley has tried to take part in one of Celes' political engagements and failed, but one time he succeeds and all the merit goes to Abilene and to his own parents who made him so beautiful.  
At some point, during the past months and after all his attempts at crashing events that he shouldn't be forced to crash but invited to rightfully, Abilene takes pity of him.

Abilene is gorgeous and Langley is positively awed every time she passes by, possibly because she has the same fascination Celes has on him for the very same reason. They have never spoken much, but she approaches him with the most charming of smiles and he just smiles back. But she's not only beautiful, she has a simple but effective plan.

Two days later, Celes is forced to meet with some of the ladies of the land – mothers, wives, sisters and daughters of people – for a tea, an incredibly sexist thing to do, if they ask him, to honor the femininity of his role, which is preposterous since he is a man. Initially, Celes refused to have the event altogether, labeling it retrograde and unnecessary, but Lacros convinced him to have it anyway, because of tradition. “Won't it be innovative anyway, since you are a boy?” He said. Celes has fallen for it, that must be said. But, Celes being Celes, he has opened the event to men too, saying that the female figure should be honored by women and men alike. So now a long line of people of any gender is swarming inside the tea room, which was personally decorated by Madame Zelmira for the occasion.

Madame Zelmira herself, in her pink short dress with a white petticoat, is standing at the door, smiling and greeting everyone. She nods to Abilene who walks through the door arm-in-arm with two lovely young ladies that chuckle simultaneously at Lacros. He smiles at them, tilting his head politely. Once inside, the trio separates, and while Abilene and the redhead girl at her left go say hi to Metacomet and Cyprian, standing tall and beautiful in the center of the tea room, the brunette makes a bee line towards Shannen, who stands not extremely tall but very beautiful in a corner, pouting as if tomorrow wasn't a thing. The brunette girl leans gracefully on him, resting her head on his shoulder.

“You are ridiculous,” Shannen mutters, sipping from his glass.

Langley chuckles. “If it looks ridiculous and it works, it's not ridiculous at all,” he says, leaving a kiss on Shannen's neck. He complains, but doesn't move away. “Besides, I'm not ridiculous at all. I'm a very pretty lady.”

And he actually is. Abilene has put make up on his face with such ability that his strongest features have completely disappeared, leaving a delicate face behind. Even his mouth, which is usually strong and masculine, looks dainty and cute.

“You are a very dead vampire if Lacros find you here, idiot.”

“Even if I might be an idiot sometimes, I must disagree on the vampire thing. I'm only half one, and that doesn't define me. Actually, why don't we start to refer to me as half-human, stressing the human part?”

“Because when you don't drink blood, you become a beast,” Shannen comments. “And that surely defines you.”

Langley has to admit that he doesn't have an effective remark to that, so he changes the subject. “This lipstick tastes like apricot. Do you wanna try it?” He grabs Shannen by the collar and kisses him without waiting for an answer, which would be no, so it doesn't really matter.

Celes finds them like that and chuckles. “Shannen, I'm disappointed. Cheating on me with a girl?”

“I was being harassed,” Shannen comments, grumpily.  
But the other two just laugh.

Four times Langley has tried to take part in one of Celes' political engagements and failed, but one time he succeeded. He drunk tea and kept a dress... for his future entertainment and that of his boyfriends.


End file.
